Inca, Falls and Beaches

This tour offers a great variety of scenery and a chance to see many remnants of the ancient cultures that flourished in Peru. From gastronomical delights awaiting you in Lima to incredible Inca fortresses in the Sacred Valley, this tour then moves on to the vibrant and colourful country that is Brazil. Here you will get a great taste of both the charm of the colonial history and the passion of modern-day Brazil.

Please note: This is a sample itinerary and can be tailored to suit your own personal needs and budget. Click here for more information on our Tailor-made Tours.

Itinerary

Expand all Collapse all

Day 1 to 2 - Arrive Lima

Once you have checked, the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Lima was founded by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535 after he eradicated the Incas and made the city his capital. Lima has many fine colonial buildings and some of the best museums in South America including the Gold Museum, Museum of the Inquisition and the Catacombs below the San Francisco Church. Peru's capital has much to offer and many of the sights, including the city's two main squares the Plaza de Armas and Plaza San Martin, are within easy walking distance The Plaza de Armas houses the Cathedral, Municipal Palace and Presidential Palace where the changing of the guard can be seen every day at 12 noon. There are also many markets in Lima, possibly the best being in the central district.

The next morning you will be collected to join a group for your half-day excursion which offers the best combination of the city's attractions covering its three historical periods: pre-hispanic, colonial and contemporary. In Lima, there were several different pre-Columbian cultures dating back thousands of years. The area was part of the Inca Empire until the city was founded by the Spanish Francisco Pizarro in 1535 as the capital of the new Spanish empire.

You will visit Huaca Pucllana, an adobe and clay pyramid built around 500 A.D. before taking in the colonial buildings of the historic centre. It is then on to the metropolitan financial district of San Isidro and the commercial centre built on the cliffs of Miraflores offering panoramic views to the Pacific. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Included Excursions

Half day tour of Lima

Accommodation

2 night(s) in hotels

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 3 to 4 - Cuzco

Today you will be transferred to the airport by private vehicle in time for you flight to Cuzco. Upon arrival you will be collected and taken to your hotel by private vehicle.

This afternoon you will join a group to explore the churches and cathedral around the charming Plaza de Armas. Your next stop will be the complex of Koricancha which contained the Temple of the Sun, the most sacred site in the Inca religion. It was the centrepiece of a vast astronomical observatory. Little remains of it today except for sections of its stone walls which hint at the sites once massive size. The Christian monastery of Santo Domingo was built on top of the complex, no doubt to signify that one religion had been replaced by another. ?

Afterwards, you will drive to the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman which reveal the Incas extraordinary architecture. Like all Inca constructions, the stones fit together perfectly without mortar and it would be hard to fit a single sheet of paper even between the biggest. It took almost one hundred years and thousands of men to complete. ?Next it is on to a site shrouded in mystery, the large rock and intricate complex of Qenko. The site is named for the zigzag channels carved into the rock which are believed to have been used by Inca priests to pour sacred chicha or llama blood into as part of an annual ritual.

Tambomachay is thought to be site used to worship water as the source of life. Two aqueducts, artistically carved on the rock, transport and keep a constant flow of clean water. ?Your final stop is the red fortress of Puka Pukara which took its name from the colour of the stones (especially at dusk).

The next day is a free day at leisure to explore a little at your own pace or hole up in one of the pretty cafes and just soak up the atmosphere - the choice is yours.

Included Excursions

Half day tour of Cuzco

Accommodation

2 night(s) in hotels

Meals

2 Breakfast(s)

Day 5 to 5 - Sacred Valley

You will meet your guide and group this morning for your full day excursion through the Sacred Valley. Here the Incas lived, farmed and enjoyed the natural wealth of this verdant region. Visit the colourful and vibrant arts and crafts market in Pisac. The nearby Inca site has a citadel, turrets, military fortresses and astronomical observatories. The largest Inca cemetery in South America is also located here.

The current town of Ollantaytambo has many houses built on the bases of the old Inca town with local people maintaining their ancestral customs. The complexity of these Inca constructions incorporated into the contemporary town is considered by many to be one of the most important living museums in the world. Above the town, the military fortress that protected this area of the valley prevails strategically between two mountains. On the summit of the archaeological complex stand six enormous monoliths with mysterious engravings of Inca iconography. You will overnight in Ollantaytambo and the evening is free here at your leisure.

Included Excursions

Sacred Valley of the Incas,Ollantaytambo ruins

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels

Meals

1 Breakfast(s), 1 Lunch(es)

Day 6 to 6 - Machu Picchu

This morning you will catch the train, just a short walk from your hotel, to Aguas Calientes - the gateway to Machu Picchu. Upon arrival your private guide will be there to meet you and take you on the shuttle bus up to the archaeological complex. Soak up the atmosphere as you walk through as our guide brings the site to life with tales of Machu Picchu in its heyday. Later, there will be enough time to explore it at your own pace.

The lost city of Machu Picchu (Old Mountain) was originally completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces to feed the population and watered by natural springs. While the ruins were only discovered by the outside world in 1911, the site was never really lost and has been continually used for farming by the local people. Located high above the fast flowing Urubamba River, the cloud shrouded ruins have palaces, baths, temples, storage rooms and some 150 houses, all so remarkably preserved that it will take your breath away.

As you will have return bus tickets, you can make your own way down to Aguas Calientes in time for your train back to Cuzco where you will be collected on arrival and taken back to your hotel by private vehicle. The evening is then at your leisure.

Included Excursions

Machu Picchu

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 7 to 7 - Flight to Foz do Iguacu

Early this morning you will be transferred from your hotel to the airport to meet your flight to Foz do Iguacu. On arrival late that night, you will be met and driven to your hotel on the Brazilian side of the falls where once you have checked in, sleep is sure to come easily. The Falls were declared a Natural World Heritage in 1986 by UNESCO. The park has 458,000 acres that borders the Argentinean and Brazilian National Parks and the two countries are divided by the Iguazu River. Together they make this region one of the largest natural protected areas in South America.

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 8 to 8 - Full Day Argentinean side of the Falls

Today you will be collected after breakfast to join your private guide to visit the National Park from the Argentinean side. The Lower Circuit is composed of a trail nearly a mile long that allows you to get close to some of the smaller waterfalls such as the Carlos Bozzetti Waterfall where you can take some great photos.

The Upper Circuit allows you to see the top of the majestic falls on the Argentinian side and you can enjoy a breath-taking panoramic view of the area. The view stretches from the Argentinean falls to San Martin Island and parts of the Brazilian falls. The Ecological Jungle Train takes you up to the Devil's Throat - the largest waterfall in the region. ?As you stand at the top of the impressive altitude of 107 metres, you get a feeling of the incredible power unleashed by millions of gallons of water cascading into space. Thanks to the newly built catwalk, you can get pretty close to this site. The entrance fee for this excursion is included. Afterwards, you will be transferred to your hotel where the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Included Excursions

Iguazu̼ Falls from Argentina

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 9 to 9 - Half Day Brazilian side of the Falls and on to Rio

Today you will take in the Falls from the Brazilian side as you stroll the 1,200 metres of catwalks with your private guide on this half-day excursion. Walking along, take in the breath-taking views of the 275 waterfalls from a number of different perspectives. The four main rapids on the Brazilian side are: Floriano, Deodoro, Benjamin Constant and Salto Union or The Devil's Throat.

As you come to the end of the path, you can hear the roar and see the spray long before you see the water itself. Prepare to get wet, even from a distance, as the spray travels a long way and watch out for the almost permanent rainbow. The entrance fee for this excursion is also included.

Afterwards, you will be taken to the airport by private vehicle to catch your flight on to Rio. Upon arrival you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Copacabana by private vehicle. Rio de Janeiro never fails to impress with its effervescent modern outlook that reflects the progression throughout its 500 year history. The historic sites, sparkling beaches, green belts music and literature, yearly Carnival celebration and jubilant attitude of the locals rightly attract millions to the city. ?The evening is yours to explore at your own pace.

Included Excursions

Iguazu̼ Falls from Brazil

Accommodation

1 night(s) in hotels

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

Day 10 to 11 - Rio de Janeiro

Today you will be collected from your hotel for a full day small group jeep tour, to discover Rio's most stunning points. Your day will start at the Tijuca Forest which is an ecologically preserved area and the biggest urban forest in the world. You will stop at the Chinese View Turret where you will have spectacular views of Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, Guanabara Bay and the city of Niteroi. Walk around the crystalline waterfalls and hike through gentle trails in the forest. After the visit to the National Park, you will continue to Corcovado Hill, located in the Tijuca Forest, where the Christ Redeemer Statue is located. From the observatory, you will see several landmarks including the Maracana Stadium and the Sugarloaf Mountain. After lunch you will continue on to that very site, located at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, which once acted as a visual reference for navigators. Its privileged location and significance to Rio's history make it an iconic landmark in the city. To finish the tour, you will visit the Botanical Garden, created by D. Joao VI in 1817 to serve as a cultivation centre for exotic plants. With many pleasing hiding places, it was one of Tom Jobim's favourite spots who was the co-inventor of Bossa Nova music.

The next day will be yours to explore a little at your own pace or just head straight to a beach. Of course the city has more beaches than you can shake a stick at and there is one to suit every mood. Copacabana is the place to see and be seen, Ipanema is the stylish and elegant section while Leblon is the more cosmopolitan quieter beach.

Included Excursions

Day tour of Rio de Janeiro

Accommodation

2 night(s) in hotels

Meals

2 Breakfast(s), 1 Lunch(es)

Day 12 to 12 - Depart Rio de Janeiro

Your adventure of a lifetime comes to an end today. If you have a late flight or have lengthened your stay by adding post tour accommodation you will have more time to explore the sights.

At the scheduled time, you will be transferred from your hotel to the airport by private vehicle to meet your onwards flight.

Meals

1 Breakfast(s)

What's Included

Excursions & Activities

Half day tour of Lima

Half day tour of Cuzco

Sacred Valley of the Incas

Ollantaytambo ruins

Machu Picchu

Iguazu̼ Falls from Argentina

Iguazu̼ Falls from Brazil

Day tour of Rio de Janeiro

Accommodation

11 night(s) in hotels

Meals

11 Breakfast(s), 2 Lunch(es)

What's Not Included

Visas and travel insurance

International flights to/from the start/end of your tour and departure taxes